For a brief period, it appeared that Islam Makhachev would be the one to step in against Rafael dos Anjos on short notice at UFC 272.
According to UFC president Dana White, a deal was almost done for the bout before Makhachev ultimately elected to turn it down.
“Pretty close – I thought we had it done,” White told Barstool Sports in a recent interview. “When I went to bed one of the nights, I thought it was done. Woke up the next morning and found out they turned it down.